Paedophile is on the run after judge made ‘mistake’ by granting him bail

Antony Hunter had already admitted to breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order before he was released on bail

By BRITTANY VONOW

11th November 2016, 3:51 pm

Updated: 11th November 2016, 5:16 pm

A PAEDOPHILE is on the run with a judge admitting the decision to give him bail was a "mistake".

Antony Hunter had confessed to downloading more than 300 illegal images of children but failed to show up for his sentencing on Wednesday.

Paedophile Antony Hunter confessed to downloading hundreds of illegal images of children

Antony Hunter failed to appear at Dunfermline Sheriff Court for his sentencing

The 35-year-old had been told that he was facing an "almost inevitable" jail sentence before being given bail.

Dunfermline sheriff Charles Macnair admitted the decision to give Hunter bail was "a mistake" when the paedophile's defence solicitor Roshni Joshi told the court her client was not present for sentencing.

Hunter had already admitted to breaching court orders, with the man failing to tell police when he moved from Loughborough to Fife, the Daily Record reported.

CLEAN GETAWAY

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

Paedo tried to blame wife and kids after being caught with cache of the 'most disturbing' child porn

The paedophile had already been imprisoned after having sex with a 15-year-old girl in 2011.

He also admitted to breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order after he had unsupervised interactions with two girls under the age of 10.

If the courts continue to treat such individuals with kid gloves, it risks putting people off reporting these crimes in the first place.

Douglas RossJustice Committee member

He previously admitted to police that he knew he had a problem, saying: "I need help".

Tory justice spokesman Douglas Ross slammed the decision to give Hunter bail, saying: "If the courts continue to treat such individuals with kid gloves, it risks putting people off reporting these crimes in the first place."

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368